Lido Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO – Free Report) by 13.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,290 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,954 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $7,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,272,967 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,802,195,000 after acquiring an additional 102,682 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Moody’s by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,965,480 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,019,551,000 after purchasing an additional 42,966 shares in the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Moody’s by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,375,768 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,213,661,000 after purchasing an additional 111,725 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in Moody’s by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,370,601 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,211,023,000 after purchasing an additional 62,798 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Moody’s by 3.2% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,349,281 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,024,874,000 after purchasing an additional 72,043 shares during the period. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts have commented on MCO shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on Moody’s from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $512.00 price target on Moody’s in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $505.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Friday, July 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $610.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $590.00 to $597.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $553.11.
Trending Headlines about Moody’s
Here are the key news stories impacting Moody’s this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Moody’s latest quarterly report topped expectations, with strong revenue growth and raised guidance helping reinforce the company’s earnings momentum. Moodys Corp (MCO) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Revenue Growth and Raised Guidance
- Positive Sentiment: Clear Street reiterated its Buy rating on Moody’s, adding to the view that the company’s business remains fundamentally sound after earnings. Clear Street Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Moody’s (MCO)
- Positive Sentiment: Multiple commentary pieces highlighted Moody’s strong Q2 performance and reaffirmed bullish views, citing solid fundamentals and continued earnings strength. Moody’s Corporation: Strong Q2, I Reiterate My Buy Rating As Fundamentals Are Still Sound
- Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s also released its quarterly dividend announcement, which is supportive for income investors but not likely a major near-term stock catalyst. Moody’s Corporation dividend announcement
- Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on valuation, noting that Moody’s may look expensive relative to fair value despite the earnings beat, which could temper upside. Moody’s (MCO) Stock Looks Expensive Relative To Fair Value
- Negative Sentiment: Investor attention is also on broader concerns about valuation after the earnings beat, with some coverage suggesting the stock’s premium pricing may limit further gains. Moody’s (MCO) Earnings Beat Puts Valuation Back In Focus
Moody’s Stock Down 0.2%
Shares of NYSE MCO opened at $471.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.19. Moody’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $402.28 and a 1 year high of $546.88. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $465.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $464.80. The firm has a market cap of $82.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.89, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.34.
Moody’s (NYSE:MCO – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.42. Moody’s had a return on equity of 80.35% and a net margin of 34.25%.The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.56 earnings per share. Moody’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Moody’s Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is 29.53%.
Insider Activity at Moody’s
In other news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total transaction of $71,679.86. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $900,534.95. This trade represents a 7.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $466.39, for a total transaction of $684,194.13. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 75,189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,067,397.71. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,495,098. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.
Moody’s Company Profile
Moody’s Corporation is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data and analytics that support financial decision-making and transparency in capital markets. The company traces its origins to the early 20th century when financial analyst John Moody began publishing credit information; today Moody’s is headquartered in New York and serves a broad set of market participants including investors, issuers, financial institutions, corporations, governments and regulators.
Moody’s operates primarily through two complementary businesses.
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